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On the morning of January 28, 1986, at 7:20
a.m., at the Kennedy Space Center in the United
States, Captain Scobee led six astronauts in
waving goodbye to the farewell crowd and boarded
the space shuttle "Challenger" standing on the
launch pad. When the cabin hatch closed, no one
could have anticipated that the Challenger,
which had successfully completed 10 previous
missions, would encounter an accident this time.
It was an unexpected turn of events for
everyone.
At 11:38:01 a.m., amidst the cheers of the
audience, the Challenger ignited and began its
ascent. Among the spectators were government
officials who had come specifically to bid
farewell, scientists involved in the mission,
colleagues from the space agency, as well as
visitors from the United States and around the
world who had made special trips to witness the
launch, along with the relatives of the seven
astronauts on board.
People watched as the Challenger rapidly climbed
higher and higher, knowing that within the next
twenty or thirty seconds, it would disappear
from their view.
At 11:39:12 a.m., the silver dot that people
were fixated on vanished in an instant, replaced
by a cloud of smoke, followed by countless
plumes of white smoke. The Challenger suddenly
exploded! All seven astronauts on board
perished, forever lost in the sky.
Tens of thousands of onlookers present at the
scene, along with hundreds of millions of
viewers around the world watching on television,
and the families of the astronauts, witnessed
this tragic event. A profound sorrow enveloped
the United States and the world. Perhaps the
most devastated were a group of young students
gathered in front of their televisions -
students from Concord Middle School in New
Hampshire, United States. They were inconsolable
because their beloved teacher, Christa, was on
board the Challenger.
In August 1984, President Reagan signed an order
to select an exceptional teacher from American
elementary and middle schools to be the first
civilian to enter space. This order undoubtedly
demonstrated the respect that the American
people held for teachers. Christa, a female
teacher from Concord Middle School, had the
privilege of being chosen, bringing immense joy
to her elderly parents, her children, and her
students who were ecstatic. Before her launch,
Christa placed various items in her space suit
pocket, including a necklace from her parents, a
ring from her husband, toys from her son, and
many letters of well-wishes from her students...
But now, that joy had instantly turned into
grief.
In fact, in the history of human space
exploration, tragedies like this had occurred
before.
On January 27, 1967, three American astronauts,
White, Grissom, and Chaffee, who were selected
as the prime crew for a lunar journey, were
conducting a simulated training exercise inside
the command module. Suddenly, there was a loud
explosion, and for reasons unknown, the command
module burst into flames, engulfing the cramped
spacecraft. "Help us, save us!" the voices of
the astronauts were heard through the radio by
those outside. When the rescue personnel opened
the command module, they found that all three
astronauts had been burned to ashes. Subsequent
investigation revealed that the explosion may
have been caused by a leak from a canister of
hydrogen gas and ten gallons of gasoline
mistakenly left inside the module.
On April 23, 1967, the Soviet Union launched the
"Soyuz 1" spacecraft with Colonel Komarov as the
cosmonaut on board. Twenty-four hours later,
Moscow Radio announced that Komarov would soon
return to Earth. People had prepared flowers to
welcome this space hero, but the radio fell
silent. It was not until twelve hours later that
a message was released, a heartbreaking message:
"Shortly before landing, a fatal accident
occurred due to the entanglement of the
parachute's suspension lines. Colonel Komarov
made the ultimate sacrifice."
In the early morning of March 27, 1968, the
first human astronaut, Gagarin, boarded a MiG-15
trainer aircraft for the final flight training
before the upcoming launch of the "Soyuz"
spacecraft. At 10:19 a.m., after completing the
aerial maneuvers, the plane was preparing to
return when suddenly the radio communication was
lost, and the radar screen failed to detect the
aircraft's presence. A helicopter was dispatched
to search along Gagarin's flight path, and in a
dense forest near the mountains, the wreckage of
the plane and human remains were discovered.
These pioneers, who dedicated themselves to the
advancement of human technology, will never be
forgotten, as their legacy lives on. On July 20,
1969, the first men to set foot on the moon,
Armstrong and Aldrin, held a solemn ceremony on
the lunar surface. They placed a gold medallion
representing the five astronauts on a flat rock.
These astronauts were the Soviet cosmonauts
Komarov and Gagarin, and the American astronauts
White, Grissom, and Chaffee. In this way,
humanity expressed the utmost respect for these
pioneers. |
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1. |
What were people's reactions before and after the
Challenger space shuttle launched and the accident occurred? |
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2. |
Try to arrange the following events in chronological
order.
A. Challenger space shuttle launch
B. Teacher Christa being selected as the first civilian to enter space
C. Gagarin's final flight training on the MiG-15 trainer aircraft
D. Challenger space shuttle explosion E. American astronauts White,
Grissom, and Chaffee dying in a simulation training
F. American astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin landing on the moon for the
first time |
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3. |
Which narrative technique does this text employ?
A. Flashback
B. Chronological order
C. Reverse order
D. None of the above |
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4. |
Based on the previous question, where can we see the use
of the narrative technique mentioned? Please explain. |
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5 |
Why does the author say, "though they are dead, they are
still alive"? |
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6 |
Summarize the main point of this text. |
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Answers |
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| 1. |
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Before the launch, people cheered and applauded for the astronauts, but
after the accident, they felt extremely sad and devastated. |
| 2 |
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ECFBAD |
| 3. |
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A |
| 4. |
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We can see the use of flashback in the sixth paragraph. The article
initially narrates the accident of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986,
but when introducing the deceased astronaut Christa, it inserts a
flashback to the events of Christa being selected as an astronaut in
1984. |
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The author says this because he believes that even though these
astronauts have died, their dedication to advancing human technology
will be forever remembered by humanity. Therefore, though they are
physically dead, their spirit lives on. That's why the author says,
"though they are dead, they are still alive." |
| 6. |
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The main point of this text is to illustrate the occurrence of tragedies
in the history of human exploration of space, using the example of the
Challenger space shuttle accident. It emphasizes that behind
technological progress, there are the efforts and sacrifices of many
individuals. |
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